Stephanie's Furniture Store buys a book shelf at a wholesale price of $159.00. If the markup rate at Stephanie's Furniture Store is 55%, what is the total markup for the book shelf in dollars?
Answer: Remember that a markup rate is a percentage of the wholesale price that a store adds to get a selling or retail price. The amount of markup can be found with the following equation: markup rate $\times$ wholesale price $=$ amount of markup Since the markup rate is a percentage, we have to convert it into a decimal first. Percent means "out of one hundred," so $55\%$ is equivalent to $\frac{55}{100}$ which is also equal to $55 \div 100$ $55 \div 100 = 0.55$ Now you have all the information you need to use the formula above! $0.55$ $\times$ $$159.00$ $=$ $$87.45$ The amount of markup on the book shelf is $$87.45$.